By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters), -Boeing Co, in a Wednesday filing to U.S. District Court Chicago, acknowledged liability for compensatory damage in lawsuits filed in 2016 by relatives of victims in 2019 Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX crashes.

Boeing (NYSE 🙂 reached an agreement that the families and lawyers will no longer seek punitive damage. Boeing also won’t challenge Illinois court cases.

The planemaker released a statement Wednesday saying that it was committed to providing fair compensation for all those whose loved ones were killed in accidents. “By accepting responsibility, Boeing’s agreement with the families allows the parties to focus their efforts on determining the appropriate compensation for each family.”

In a statement, lawyers for victims noted that Boeing had admitted that the 737 MAX was in an “unsafe condition” and would not try to blame others for the accident.

This is an important milestone in families’ pursuit of justice for Boeing. The compensation will help hold Boeing accountable for the deaths and injuries of the 157 victims.

Boeing’s most-sold plane was forced to be grounded for twenty months following the deaths of 346 passengers in two crashes of the 737 MAX in 2018,-19. Boeing introduced significant training and software improvements that enabled the plane to return to service.

Boeing has already lost $20 billion in crashes. Boeing entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, including $2.5 Billion in penalties and damages arising from the 737 MAX accidents.